Trade Fair and Project Committee

Export promotion takes place amongst increasingly globalized competition. In order to support the market presence of Swiss companies, Switzerland Global Enterprise provides subsidies which can be utilized for joint promotions abroad.

The Trade Fair and Project Committee is deployed by Switzerland Global Enterprise, in order to effectively and efficiently use the subsidies. The Trade Fair and Project Committee is made up of five to seven members who represent major industries and sectors of the Swiss export industry and who themselves have many years’ experience of trade fairs and events and/or of the regions in question. The Trade Fair and Project Committee’s duties and responsibilities are set out in the “Organizational Regulations of the Trade Fair and Project Committee”.

Each year, the Trade Fair and Project Committee supports over 90 projects which are run by associations, chambers of trade, S-GE and other organizers in many markets around the world. The export efforts of well in excess of 1,000 companies are therefore effectively supported.

Support for joint projects abroad
Competent organizers of trade fair participation and market development actions (“project sponsors”) may receive funding, if the project has a sustained and substantial impact on an industry or a group of companies.

Projects always include a “company-based” and a “non-profit-making” part. The former includes the participation costs of the companies taking part, while the latter includes the measures for industry advertising. The subsidies are intended to support the non-profit-making part of a project, i.e., those services which benefit an entire industry or the Swiss economy in general. The possibility of supporting individual companies is excluded.

The “Regulations on contributions for funding joint export promotion projects” contains information on who can apply for contributions and which services can receive contributions. It also regulates the procedure, the performance, and quality assessments as well as the appearance on site.
To ensure that applications for contributions can be judged fairly and transparently, the Trade Fair and Project Committee has drafted a list of criteria. The criteria include both the importance of the project to industry and the destination country, as well as its impact and effectiveness. Applications for contributions will be rejected if they do not meet the criteria.

Project applications are – again with the aim of transparent decision-making – to be drafted according to a grid which includes all the evaluation information. The budget must provide a realistic picture of the project and cost transparency. The key figures for assessing the effectiveness of the project are derived from the budget.

How can I submit projects for trade fairs and other market promotion measures?
Templates exist for applications for project contributions, which must be submitted, duly completed, to the Trade Fair and Project Committee office (MPK@s-ge.com). Separate templates (“Template for trade fair participation project submission” or “Template for market promotion measures project submission”) must be completed for trade fair participation and market promotion measures (projects). The “Template for the budget for trade fairs” must be completed for trade fairs and the “Template for the budget for market promotion measures” must be completed for market promotion measures.

What has to be done following the completion of a project?
The project sponsor has to evaluate the success of the project in a final report following the conclusion of a project. The definitive project accounts (including all of the relevant appendices in accordance with the regulations) is to be submitted to the office within three months of the project ending. To this end, the document “Template for the final report on trade fairs including survey of exhibitors” or the “Template for the final report on market promotion measures” must be submitted as well as the accounts for the trade fair or accounts for the market promotion measures.

When can projects be submitted?
The Trade Fair and Project Committee must be able to evaluate projects at least three months before the start of the trade fair. There are three submissions deadlines each year:

January 31

May 31

September 30

The Trade Fair and Project Committee will meet shortly afterwards and decide on the applications received. The office will then inform the applicant.